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An outdated website is an anchor for any business. It limits opportunities, eliminates all advantages, and slows down development. Realizing this, Pro-Energy turned to Solve Marketing to develop a modern, functional and multi-page website.
And most importantly, the site had to be not just “beautiful”, because beauty is always subjective. The site had to become an online representation that fulfills all the marketing tasks of the business: builds trust in the brand and attracts new customers.
There were a lot of challenges: from tight deadlines and budgeting requirements from the EBRD to a difficult niche. If we fail to complete the work on time, the client loses the grant. It’s all or nothing.
But it wouldn’t be us if we gave up on this challenge. This case-study is all about our experience with the bioenergy sector, EBRD rules and implementing the website from scratch in just 4 months.
The project is a Ukrainian engineering company Pro-Energy, which specializes in bioenergy.
CMO — Krystyna Hladunova.
Operational Marketer — Kristina Tryhub.
Navigate the case-study
- Our team
- Getting started: market and competitor research
- Development of the site structure and pages
- Filling pages with content
- Website design
- Website layout
- Creation of the English version
- Project results
Our team
A project manager
- is responsible for communication with the client and the team;
- supervises the fulfillment of tasks by the team;
- helps prepare reports.
A content marketer
- develops the structure of the site and pages;
- creates text content for the site.
A marketer
- researches the market;
- studies the needs and choice factors of customers;
- analyzes competitors’ websites;
- creates technical specifications for website development;
- Controls communication and work performance by the team;
- prepares reports.
A designer
- creates a website design.
A layout designer
- converts layouts created by a designer into an existing website using code;
- adapts the website to mobile devices;
- integrates it with an SMS content management system.
Market and competitor research
We started with analytics and planning. This is necessary to clearly understand the market, identify the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, and create our own vision of which website will set the project apart from others.
The competitors’ websites were very detailed, full of technical information and case-studies. This is because bioenergy and bioprocessing facilities can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Consequently, clients take a long time to choose a contractor, comparing different offers.
That’s why our website had to contain comprehensive information about experience and cases, industry and technology in a structured way.
Along with the market analysis, we also conducted an interview with the customer, which helped us better understand the specifics of our clients: what they pay attention to on the website, whether they call or send an application, and much more.
Since Pro-Energy works in the field of renewable energy, we had an idea to attract grant funding for the development of the website. In some areas, it is much easier to get such a grant. Energy is one of them.
Therefore, we submitted an application to the EBRD, and after a while we received a response that we were allowed to proceed and could prepare project documentation.
The EBRD is the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, one of the largest institutional investors in Ukraine. The Solve Marketing team are qualified consultants. This means that we have fulfilled the bank’s compliance and can be the executors of grant projects.
In this case-study, this is presented in a few sentences, but all grant project documentation is a voluminous job that we have done before.
The main difference between the availability of funding from the EBRD is a grant agreement with clear deadlines, failure to comply with which leads to the loss of funding.
We take the implementation of such projects as proof that we are able to work in compliance with all deadlines. We also provide documentation in such a way that we constantly receive gratitude from representatives of the granting organization for the clarity and timeliness 🙂
So, the project agreement is signed, and time is running out. We need to act!
Development of the site structure and pages
After analyzing competitors and collecting data, we proceeded to develop the structure of the Pro-Energy website.
The structure is the so-called “tree” of the future website, which defines the list of pages, their names, and the interaction between them. It was important to create a clear and logical navigation that would help users easily navigate the site and quickly find the information they needed. When a website is well-designed and intuitive, visitors find information faster and, as a result, are more likely to make a decision in favor of the company.
After approving the structure of the site, we moved on to creating the “skeleton” of the pages. The process of developing the pages took place in parallel with the other stages, because we realized that there was no time to wait.
As soon as the structure of one page was finalized, it was handed over to the content marketer to prepare the text content. This allowed us to make the most of every minute by working in a pipeline.
Filling pages with content
For each page of the future website, the marketer and content marketer worked together to create materials that accurately reflected the specifics of services and solutions. In particular, we developed content for such pages as:
- “Home“. The purpose of this page is to maximize the interest of visitors, keep them on the site and convert them into customers. Here we highlighted the created positioning, advantages and indicators of the company’s stations, a list of services, cases and partners, and added strong calls to action.
- “About Us“. A potential client should have a good understanding of who they are entrusting with their large investments. Therefore, on this page, we introduce the audience to Pro-Energy in as much detail as possible: we highlight the mission and vision, company values, development history, advantages and achievements. We also introduce the company’s core team and partners so that a potential client can see the specialists with their own eyes.
- “Solutions“. We have developed a general page with a list of services, as well as for each of them separately: “Biogas and Biomethane”, “Cogeneration”, “Biomass”, “Biorefinery”. As you can see from the titles of the pages, the work was not easy, but very interesting 🙂
Thanks to the support of the project’s marketers, our deep understanding of the industry, and the client’s involvement, we managed to overcome this challenge.
The pages devoted to services described each solution in detail and clearly argued why Pro-Energy is the best choice for customers. We talked about the company’s unique advantages, experience, and expertise to create a sense of trust and reliability among users.
- “Systematic approach“. This page is fully dedicated to the main advantage — integrated solutions. We have described the stages of project implementation: from idea to commissioning. It was important to emphasize that the customer does not need to deal with the documentation, search for funding, as well as train staff and maintain equipment. So we emphasized that Pro-Energy is not just a contractor, but a long-term partner.
- “Realized projects“. The case-studies page is an actual confirmation of all the benefits, a guarantee of the company’s reliability. In the description of a completed project, a potential client should see themselves and their capabilities after ordering a bioenergy project. Therefore, we have described the path from request to payback with important details. The best way to do this is to use numbers that accurately convey the result of customers’ investments.
- Other pages. In addition to the main pages of the site, we also took care of the company’s contacts, described the privacy policy, and developed the 404 page.
We should also mention the SEO optimization of the content. To make the site visible in search engines and appear higher in search results, we integrated keywords into the site’s content. In addition, we placed FAQ blocks on the pages with the most frequently asked questions that users often search for answers to. The FAQs not only filled the site with information, but also helped improve its position in search engines.
Website design
Website design is not just a beautiful visual. It is something that forms the first impression of a company and can determine whether a user stays on the site or goes on to look for more. We understood how important it was to create a modern, intuitive, and effective design.
Solve Marketing’s designers started with the development of key pages in two versions. In this way, we allowed the client to choose the most suitable solution, which laid the foundation for the visual style of the entire site.
After approving the design, we proceeded to develop the rest of the pages, taking into account adaptation for mobile devices. After all, in today’s world, the mobile version of a website is no less important than the desktop version.
One of the main ideas of the visual design was animated and interactive elements that add dynamics to the site and make interaction with it more exciting. For example, we created a branded slider that is displayed when pages load. Thanks to it, the user sees a pleasant visual instead of underloaded pages.
The home page was designed using a drone video of bioenergy plants, which gives the impression of the company’s scale and technology. This video immediately attracts attention and makes users interested in further exploring the site.
The “About Us” page has become a real business card for the company. We added an interactive element — a chronology of the company’s development by years. The user can click on any year and learn about the company’s achievements during this period, seeing its stable development.
Another important element on this page is an interactive map of Europe that highlights locations where the company has already implemented its projects. This clearly demonstrates the geography of the company’s activities and its scale.
The next stage — the website layout — was a real challenge, as we had to not only implement all the design solutions, but also do it quickly.
Website layout
Since we were working according to the EBRD’s regulations, we had to strictly adhere to the time limits. But when we signed the contract, we did not yet have a full understanding of what we would face at this stage. There was little time left for layout, and the design was full of complex ideas.
But despite all the difficulties, the Solve Marketing development team implemented all the elements with attention to detail, turning visual concepts into code.
After all 6 pages were completed, we moved on to the development of the site’s admin panel. Its functionality was designed so that the client could easily manage content, edit and finalize the site, as well as monitor its performance. But that’s not all.
After completing the main work, we conducted detailed testing of the site. The test covered all aspects of the site’s functioning: from the correct display of pages on different devices to the correct operation of buttons and animations. We also tested the site’s loading speed to make sure it met the highest standards of user experience.
Finally, we developed detailed instructions on how to work with the admin panel and held a presentation for the client. We demonstrated the finished website and explained all the key points of working with it.
Creating the English version
Having completed the layout stage, the whole team breathed a sigh of relief. We made it, the work was delivered on time, which means we didn’t let the client down. But do you know that feeling when you forget something but can’t remember what it is? That’s exactly what we felt before we even remembered about the translation.
In pursuit of the deadline, we almost missed a very important clause in the project agreement. A bilingual website is a necessity for a company that works with foreign customers and partners. We have once again engaged the agency’s specialists to create an English-language version of the site as soon as possible and to ensure that the business can scale.
Project results
Four months of work, a complex niche, limited time, regulations and reports, and an anxiously approaching deadline. All of this put a serious responsibility on the shoulders of the Solve Marketing team, which we, of course, coped with.
And when we saw the client’s positive reaction, we realized that the result was worth all the effort. Our client received a modern and user-friendly website where every element works flawlessly. And we gained invaluable experience that we will apply in future projects.
Our journey with Pro-Energy did not end there. Website development is just one of the steps needed to successfully attract new customers, which happened very quickly!
After the launch of advertising, all investments in the website paid off in just the first month! Is it hard to believe? Is it a miracle? No, just the result of the systematic work of the remote marketing department of Solve Marketing.
But read about it in our next case-study. Subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss it.
